Door and locking means therefor



June 29 1926.

G. H. PIGGOT noon AND LOCKING MEANS THEREFOR Filed May 28, 1923 mmml I HHH HHHHIM I ll Patented June 29, 1926.

sir-Ares EP-JA oRAHAM .11- PIGGOT, maromcaeo, rumors,- nssreraron. r FEDERAL. STEEL FIXTURE .GOMPANY, OF. CHICAGO, rLLiNoIs, A CORPORATION, or; ILLINOIS.

"1300B "AN'ID LOGKINGMEANS THEREFOR.

=Appli cation filedMay 28, 1923. Serial No. 641,846.

"-This inventionrelates to loeker doors,- and more p a rticularlyto" the doors of steel lookers, and 'the'- invention:- relates especially": to

the means for latching or looking: the "door in'closed position.

Generally stated the object of the invention is' to provideanimproved "construction and arrangement w'vher'ehy the-looking :Ineans --n ill= operate: =in an: easy and eomp aratively 101 quiet mann'er.

It I is also 1 an: object": to provide an im- :prWe-d construction and arrangement Where- 5 by ihe loeking means, Which operatef by gravity to lock the door; may be controlled loy the 1 rotational movement of the hand,

* instead of by an upward :moveni'ent' or lift,

in order :to; unlock the' door.

'*Another object is to provide an improved construction: and arrangement wnh'ereloyi Ethe sheet metal door will be light andf strong,

and= of:less weighttthan has been thercase with some *str-uetures h'eretofore :employed for this purpose.

i it isalso an object tdvprovidevcertaindetailsand features :of construction; and;*c.om-

i binat'ions"-tending to iinerease ;:the-;-igeneral efficiency and? .the desirability of s a "locker door andglo'olringnmeans of thisspa'rti'oular :1 chara'cter.

1T0 ithe? foregoing-1 and other useful ends, the invention L consists in the matters" here- 1 ina fter set 'fortha and 'ciaimedg and shown in the accompanying s drawings, in Which,

"Figf 1-is a front elevation of aisteehloeker embodying the: principles of; the invention.

FigxQ-is an 'enlarged vertioal'seetion on line P 2 2 in "-Eig. I 1.

"Fig; 3 is:a-'ve'rtieal" seetion-on aline 3-3 'Fig:1- his? a .horizontal sectioni on line 4.-i

=sint-Eigk 3.

As" thus illustrated, -l the locker 1 may be of any suitable form and size, and asshown comprises a body'l,=t0' Whieh the door 2 ""iszhinged 'at 3 in any suitablemanner. -The door at thevother --side: ofthe-locker"- has a ,AS showns' more 'elea nly inz hwsaid door iis constructed" ofsheet metah and has a Vertical arfront Wziil'. 5 i provided at r each edge with whollow reinforcing vPOI'tiOIlS formed by bending the metal ba-GkHto-pro avide side Walls w'6 and innerroblique iawalls 7, so that these hollow stiffening portions .1 are triangular in whoriz'ontal eross nSQCt'lOII. This reduces. the: amount ofmetal-employed a and r=reduces the 2 Weight, and at I the-1. same at-Lime; insures 2 a strong and; rigidveonstrueition.

The: locking means, comprise. a {Vertically idisposedsection of angle; .iron 8;:arranged v to slideuup. and EdOWIT hetweem the wallsi 6 a and'7iadjacent the handle 4"P1'8Vi011SlYf1116n: tioned. This sectionof angle iron fits fairly snuglyin the housing ;thus..provided :the xsheetizm'et'al avalls of" 13119;.Cl001, andr-ist-pro- "vided with extensions "9 which: Work in N61- tical slots 10 togpermit-xthe upzandadown gmotion: of the locking means. 'llhe easing L-is'providchwithdouble anglestrike'pi-eoes 11 2 having 1 vertical: slots 12 therein; to re --c*eive" athe hook-shaped:latehingg portions 9, wh'ereby' the-[door iswloeked in .CiOSGdg'lPOSlation. 1t1Wil1" be: 'seenthat-i itheiiportions. 9 z-have. heifleled edges: 12O;-to2- engage; the: lower sends of: theJslots 12,- so that-When ztllQfldOOI' .isfclgosedizthea tangle viron 8i is Praised: until the portion 9 slides throughfitheeslot;12-0f each :strike -pieee,-;- and: then: the-"notches 13 -:of:.-the portions 9- permitfrthe;angle;1iron 8 E toudrop downuntil. the ihook-shaped .-=p0r- 'tions 'S) are'ain loeking position, as--shown in lTigs; 21 and -3, thus? holding the door in -elosed position. It will beunderstood that thevverti-eally :disposed and. vertically zmov ---able locking bar 8, Whieh is preferably. 1 of 7. angle iron formation, may have as inan'y -of the locking hooks 9 as? are necessaryor 5 desirable; and the casing 1- will he equipped -.'with.-. as; many Sf/Ilkfil pieces 11: asazrei mec- :essary.

Jl he :nieans for.- raising: -the,--l0cking bar 8,- to-release-the1hook=shaped portions 9 iEfTOHlc the strike pieces 1.1, eornprise.- a:.lug

14.- on the inner surfaceof the-dockinghar 8,'iand an'- arm? Iii-having afnotch; lfishaped -t0 engage' -thelug 14:,1Z1S' showndn Figs 3, said arm 15 -being rigid-with the dimer 1 end portion 1'?- of- @the handle 4. *previouslyz mentioned. This handle .is rotatably; :mounted :'in the door, and when the handle is twisted or= rotated the arm. 15' will press upwardly against? the lug 14, and J'th-lS-Will-.mOV& ,Lthe locking; bar:- 81. upward; )thus-i unlocking. {the @door.

Of course, when the door is closed, the latching means operate by gravity in the manner explained. But when the door is unlocked, an easy or gentle twisting of the handle 4 will raise the locking bar 8, not suddenly or violently, but easily and quietly, and the door will be unlocked quietly and with less noise than is true of some constructions heretofore employed for this purose.

It will be understood that the upper and lower edges of the door may be stiffened, in the manner described, by providing hollow portions such as those shown for the vertical edges of the door, whereby the door will comprise a rectangular hollow frame with a section of sheet metal extending between the top and bottom and the sides thereof. The straight walls 7 form straight braces, and this triangular hollow formation is light and strong, and insures lightness and strength at the same time. The door is also reduced somewhat in weight by using the angle iron locking bar 8, as the bar is lighter, of course, when made of angle iron than it would be if made, for example, of channel iron or of tubing.

It will be seenthat the housing for the locking bar 8 is provided with an opening 18 through which the arm 15 extends to engage the lug 14 previously mentioned. The slots 10 in the housing of the bar 8 may be of such length vertically that this bar has the desired limitation of up and down movement, and whereby the handle 4; will stand vertically as shown when the bar 8 is in its lowest position.

Thus it will be seen that the locking bar 8 is automatically raised and then dropped into locking position, when the door is closed. At such time the strike pieces 11 serve as stops to limit the inward closing movement of the door, whereby the latching means or locking means serve also as the means to limit the closing movement of the door. A part of the locking means are in one of the triangular and tubular reinforcing portions with which the door is provided, as shown and described. so that this triangular and tubular portion has the double function of stiffening this edge of the door and containing certain operative parts. in this particular case the vertically movable locking bar.

Thus the walls 7 form flat oblique brace walls, each brace extending obliquely from the edge of the wall 16 to the back of the wall 5, whereby a very stiff and strong reinforcement is provided for the edge portion of the door. in the manner shown and described. In addition. the oblique brace 7 shown at the right in Fig. 4 has the further function of enclosing the vertically movable locking bar 8. in the manner shown and described, and this bar has lateral support at each side thereof, upon the inner surface of the chamber in which it is fully enclosed, in the manner shown and described.

lVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. In a locker, the combination of a door, a vertically movable locking bar fully en closed by the door and thereby having lateral support at all sides thereof and mounted to gravitate into its lower position, catch means co-operating with said bar to latch the door in. closed position. adapted automatically to raise said bar and then allow it to drop into locking position when the door is closed, a rotary handle on the door operative on a pivot extending through the door, and means operative about the axis of the handle and whereby rotation of the handle will raise the bar to unlock the door, use of the handle being unnecessary to close the door.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, said locking bar being of angle iron formation in horiozntal cross section, and there being a housing for said locking bar, which'housing is triangular in horizontal cross section.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, said locking bar being carried by the door, and said means whereby said handle is operated to raise said locking bar comprising a lug on the locking bar and an arm rigid with the handle and having a notch to engage said lug.

4:. A. structure as specified in claim 1, said means for co-operating with the locking bar to latch the door in closed position comprising one or more double angle strike pieces and'one or more hook-like engaging portions rigid with said locln'ng bar to engage said one or more strike pieces.

5. In a locker, the combination of a casing, and a swinging door therefor, said door comprising sheet metal bent at edges thereof to provide hollow stiffening portions,

which are triangular in cross section, so that each portion is triangular and tubular in cross section, the metal being bent around inwardly and back upon itself, whereby a flat brace wall is formed at an oblique angle between the front wall and the inner edge of the door, said brace forming a bevel for the inner side of each tubular portion, operative latching parts enclosed in one tubular portion and means on the locker to cooperate with said latching parts when the door is closed.

6. The improved locking means for a locker, comprising a vertically movable locking bar enclosed in the edge portion of the locker door, whereby the bar has lateral support at all sides thereof on the inner surface of the enclosing chamber, and means whereby said bar is automatically raised and then dropped into locking position, when the door is closed, substantially as shown and described.

7. In a locker, means forming the body of the locker, a swinging door having one edge hinged thereon, having its other edge formed with a'vertically disposed guide, a locking bar carried in said guide portion of the door, the guide enclosing and thereby holding the bar against lateral displacement in any direction, forming a stiff tubular door edge whereby said bar has lateral support for each side thereof, means for raising and lowering said locking bar, stop means for limiting the closing movement of the door, and means on said locking bar to engage said stop means, adapted automatically to raise the bar and then allow it to drop into looking position, when the door is closed, together with means to connect said stop means rigidly to the inside of said body.

8. A structure as specified in claim 7, said stop means comprising a strike piece with a slot therein, said slot being in a plane parallel with the front of the locker, and said means on the locking bar for engaging the stop means comprising a portion with a beveled edge to engage the lower end of said slot, thereby to raise the locking bar, and having a notch to hook over the lower edge of the slot to lock the door in closed position.

9. A structure as specified in claim 7, said stop means comprising a plurality of double angle strike pieces, each strike piece provided with a slot, and said engaging means on the locking bar comprising projections extending parallel with the side of the locker, when the door is closed, adapted to extend through said slots and to engage the lower edge of each slot to lock the door in closed position.

Signed GRAHAM H. PIGGOT. 

